Locking fastener



April ll, 1961 vw. F. AsHwoRTH LOCKING FASTENER 2 sheets-Sheet 1 FiledDec. 29, 1958 I I vez/ae? F.' 55mm/ih.

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April 11, 196l w. F.. AsHwoRTH 2,979,356

LOCKING FASTENER Filed Dec. 29. 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 n ad.

United States Patent LOCKING FASTENER Winthrop F. Ashworth, Wenhani,Mass., asslgnor to vUnited-Carr Fastener ACorporatiomCambridge, Mam.,acorporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 29, 195s, ser. Nerea-419 z claims.(c1. 292-317) Other objects of the invention will, in part, be obvious,and will, in part, appear hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a top plan view of the top part;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the top of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the top of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a top plan View of the bottom part;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the bottom part of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the bottom part of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a top plan View of the plastic lock;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the plastic lock;

Fig. 9 is a top plan view of the plastic lock partly broken away to showlocking feature;

Fig. 10 is a view in section taken on line 10-10 of Fig. 9;

Fig. l1 is a bottom plan view of another embodiment;

Fig. 12 is a side elevation of Fig. l1; Y

Fig. 13 is a side elevation of Fig. ll;

Fig. 14 is an end elevation of Fig. 11;

Fig. 15 is a top plan view ofthe plastic lock;

Fig. 16 is a side elevation of the plastic lock;

Fig. 17 is a top plan view of the hasp;

Fig. 18 is a top plan view of the hasp, staple and plug engaged andattached to a strap; and

Fig. 19 is a view in section taken on line 19-19 of Fig. 18. g

One embodiment of the fastener is illustrated in Figs. 1-10. 'I'hefastener comprises a plug receptacle 10, a plug receptacle cover 12, aVhinge element 14, and a plug 16. The plug receptacle 10 is formed fromone piece of material, in the present instance, aluminum. Naturally anysemi-rigid material may be used, such as plastic 'ora most of themetals. The receptacle 10 comprises a -base 18, two side walls 20inintegral right angle relationship with said base 18 and in spacedparallelrelationship with each other, and a rear wall 22 inintegraljright angle relationship with said base 18 and also with bothside walls 20 as shown in Fig. 4. The base 18 has an attaching means 24centrally located for attaching the receptacle 10 to a strap 26 or thelike. -ln this embodiment of the invention applicant has drawn a studattaching means 24 integral with the base `18. Many different types ofattaching means 24 could be used for the purpose such as a stud andsocket, or eyelet etc. A tongue 21 may be formed integral with theterminal end of the base 18 farthest from the rear wall 22 and extendingbelow the said base 18 in a direction away from the direction of theside walls 20, which on engagement with the strap 26, could be benttoward the base 18 to hold the said strap 26 between the base and thesaid tongue 21 as '2,979,356 Y'Patentecl Apr. 11, 1961 an additionalholding means in cooperation with the attaching means 24. The two sidewalls 20 have a leading edge 28`1ocated at the point farthest from therear wall 22 and between each of the said leading edges 28` 5 and therear wall 22, two tabs 30 are formed, one integral with each wall, inright angle relationship with their 'respective wall 20, in spacedparallel relationship with" the base 18 and pointing toward each otheras shown in Fig. 4. A rectangular latch 32 is formed integral on one 10side with the base 18, in acute angular relationship there;

to and protruding upward a predetermined distance between the walls 20.The latch 32 may also be triangular or circular in shape.

The said plug receptacle cover 12 comprises a substan- 15 tiallyrectangular cap 34, a fore wall 36, an after wall 38,

and a flank wall 40. All three of said walls are in integral right anglerelationship with said cap 34 and the fore wa1l`36 and the after wall 38are in spaced parallel relationship with each other and in right anglerelation- 20 shipV with said Hank wall 40. The fore wall 36 has anaperture 42 formed therein and has a height from the Icap 34 equal tothe height of the after wall 38 plus the height ofthe rear wall 22 ofthe plug receptacle 10. A connector portion 44 is formed integral withthe plug receptacle cover 12 to engage the hinge element 14. In

ythe preferred embodiment the connector portion 44 comprises a ilatcontiguous element 46 and a cylindrical connector element 48. The hingeelement 14 in the preferred embodiment is a rectangular frame in whichone of the longer bars 450 is moveably attached to a terminal end 52 ofthe strap 26. This attachment may be made by looping the said end 52laround the bar 50 and then attaching it to the strap 26 in the usualmanner. The other bar 54 in spaced parallel relationship with itsopposite bar 50, is placed axially in the cylindrical connector element48 so that the receptacle cover 12 can rotate about the bar 54 from thepoint where it contacts one side of the strap 26 to the opposite side ofthe strap 26. To engage the receptacle 10 with the receptacle cover 12,the terminal end of the strap 26 on the opposite Y end from the terminalend 52 is passed through the aperture 56 formed by the frame of thehinge element 14 to allow the cover 12 to be dropped over the receptacle10 with the fore wall 36 of the cover 12 in contact with the side walls20 and in spaced parallel relationship with the rear wall 22 of thereceptacle 10. The one piece plug 16 is formed of a fragile material,such as plastic in the shape of the capital letter D as shown in Fig. 7.The plug comprises a plug base 58, flexible legs 60 in 50 integral rightangle relationship with said base 58 and connected at their endsfarthest from the base 58 by an arcuate connecting portion 52 split onthe. midline of the arcas shown in Fig. 7. The plug 16 is made fromplastic or some other material that is easily broken under 55 shearstresses. To engage the receptacle 10, the receptacle cover 12 and the'plug 16, the receptacle 10 and the receptacle Vcover are engaged witheach other as herein set forth. The plug 16 is then passed between thewalls of the Iaperture 42 formed in the cover 12` and .between the base18 and the two tabs 30 until the terminal end.52 o f 'the plug v16rpasses. over the rectangular latch 32 `of the plug receptacle. At thispoint, the plug base 58 "abuts the fore wall 36 of the plug receptacle10 and thefplug 16'cannotbe withdrawn because the latch 32 holds theplug 16. The receptacle 10 is now engaged with the lreceptacle cover 12and the two elements cannot be separated without breaking the plug 16.

A second embodiment of the invention is shown in Figs. 11-19 wherein anordinary hasp 64 and staple 66 are used as two of the three basicelements of the invention. Engaged with the hasp 64 is the thirdelement, a plug receptacle 68. The plug receptacle 68 comprises a baseplate 70 generally rectangular in shape having its two longer side edgesbent in right angle relationship to the said base plate 70 to form sidewalls 72, 73 and said side walls 72 and 73 are `in opposed spacedparallelrelationship with each other as bestillustratedin Fig. 14. Anvaperture 74 is formed in` the base plate-70 approximately midwaybetween Ytheside walls 72 and 73 in the form shown in Fig. 111 similarto the spherical form of the hasp aperture. The tops of the side walls72-and 73 are bent in right angles to themselves to form wing portions76. The planes of wing portions 76 are in spaced parallel relationshipwith the plane of the base plate 70 as shown in Fig. 14. An engagementtab 78 is formed 'in the side wall 72 so that it protrudes into the areadelned by the side wall 72, its wing portion 76 and the base plate 70 asbest illustrated in Figs. 11 and 14. Onthe opposite side of the baseplate 70 from that on which the tab 78 is located, a rectangularaperture 80 is formed in the side wall 73, the base plate 70 forming oneedge of said aperture S0. The rectangular aperture 80 is formed byshearing two projections 82 from the side wall 72. The projections 82protrude into the area dened by the base plate 70 and the side walls 72and 73 as shown in Fig. l1. Each of the projections 82 have terminalcontact edges 84. Semi-circular tabs 86 are sheared from the base plate70 to protrude toward the wing portions 76 as is best shown in Fig. 14.The position of the tabs 86 is best shown in Fig. ll. The tabs 86 arefour in number, two on each side of the aperture 74 and lying under thewing portions 76. The distance from one tab 86 to its opposite membertab 86 is always smaller than the width of the hasp 64 as will be morefully explained hereinafter. The semi-circular tabs 86 are integral withthe base plate 70. The hasp 64 is basically of a form old in the arthaving two straight side edges 88, separated by a spherical aperture 90and connected at one of each of their terminal ends by an integralarcuate portion 92, their opposite terminal ends are connected by arectangular base edge 93. The base edge 93 is curled about one of thelonger arms 94 of a square frame 95, and the opposite longer arm 97 isin spaced parallel relationship with said arm 94 and moveably attachedto -a leather strap 96 as shown in Figs. 17 and 18. One of the straightside edges 88 ofthe hasp 64 has formed therein an acute angular notch 98with its apex pointing toward the base edge 93 as shown in Fig. 17. Thedesign of the notch 98 is not critical as long as it contains anindentation and a stop edge 100 in right angle relationship with theaxis of the aperture 90 of the li-asp 64. An embossment 102 may beformed about the periphery of the laperture 90 to provide strengthalthough such embossment is not absolutely necessary. To engage the hasp64 with the plug receptacle 68, the straight side edges 88 of the hasp64 ride over the arcuate portion of the semi circular tabs 86 and underthe wing portions 76. The engagement tab 78 rides on the side edge 88 inwhich the angular notch 9S is formed. The plug receptacle 68 is pushedonto the hasp 64 until the engagement tab 78 snaps into the notch 98 sothat the free terminal end of the engagement tab 78 rests against thestop 100 of the notch 98. The receptacle 68 can now be moved a shortdistanceV between the curled portion of the base edge 93 and the stop100 as determined by the length of the engagement tab 78. In thisengaged position the aperture 74 ofthe plug receptacle 68 is in spacedparallel relationship with the aperture 90 of the hasp 64.

The staple 66 is attached to the strap 96 using any. of

Y angular notches are formed `iny the -legs` of the plug 16a as shown inFig. 15.

To lock theV hasp 64, the plug receptacle A68 and the staple 66 togetherafter these Athree pieces have been engaged as explained herein, theplug 16a is passed between the walls of the rectangular aperture 80 ofthe plug receptacle 68 until its plug base 58a rests against the sidewall 73 as shown in Fig. 18. The projections 82 snap into the notches ofthe plug 16a preventing its removal from the receptacle 68 withoutbreaking the plug 16a. The bight of-the arcuate portion of the plug 16ais made so that when the plug is completely inserted into the plugreceptacle, it is superimposed over the aperture 90 of the hasp 64 andlies between the hasp 64 and the plug receptacle base plate 68. In thisposition it also lies in the area formed by the staple 66. The hasp 64,

the receptacle 68 and the staple 66 are now locked together and cannotbe separated without breaking the plug 16a. If the device described wereused to bind a mail bag together, the bag could not be opened withoutcreating an easily detectable damage to the bag or fastener.

Since certain other obvious modifications may be made in this devicewithout departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended thatall matter contained herein be interpreted in an illustrative and not ina limiting sense.

I claim:

l. A locking fastener comprising a plug receptacle, a plug receptaclecover and a plug, said plug receptacle having two side walls in spacedparallel relationship, a base portion in right angle relationship withsaid side walls, extending the full length of said side walls, and anend wall in right angle relationship with said base portion, said baseportionhaving a latch member sheared therefrom in acute angularrelationship thereto, said side walls each having a tab in right anglerelationship therewith and in spaced parallel relationship with saidbase portion, said plug receptacle cover having a rectangular cap, afore wall and an after wall in spaced parallel relationship with eachother and in right angle relationship `with said cap, and a flank wallin right angle relationship with said cap, said walls and cap forming afour sided compartment, said fore wall having yan aperture formedtherein, whereby said plug can be passed between the walls of saidaperture in said fore wall, between the base portion and said ytabs toengage said latch member, thereby lockingthe said plug receptacle to thesaid plug receptacle cover.

2. A fastener as disclosed in claim l wherein the plug comprises anarcuate exible member and a plug base connecting the terminal ends ofsaid arcuate member.

References Cited in the n`le of this patent i UNITED STATES PATENTS777,749 Russel Dec. 20, 1904 1,173,603 Murray et al Feb. 29, 19161,830,950 Lake Nov. 10, 1931 1,950,803y Lewis Mar. 13, 1934 1,987,351Rose Jan. 8, 1935

